One foot forward, one in the past

Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival's 2014 season features both old favorites and newer faces

By Tresca Weinstein

Published 4:34 pm, Thursday, June 12, 2014

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Michelle Dorrance
Photo: Courtesy of Jacob's Pillow

Michelle Dorrance
Photo: Courtesy of Jacob's Pillow

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Carmen de Lavallade
Photo: Courtesy of Jacob's Pillow

Carmen de Lavallade
Photo: Courtesy of Jacob's Pillow

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Trey McInytre Project
Photo: Courtesy of Jacob's Pillow

Trey McInytre Project
Photo: Courtesy of Jacob's Pillow

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Carmen de Lavallade

Carmen de Lavallade

Photo: Antoine Temp

One foot forward, one in the past

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Milestones, world premieres, live music and family-friendly performances are all on tap this summer at the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival in Becket, Mass., as executive and artistic director Ella Baff serves up another eclectic season with international flavor.

The first two weeks of the festival bring two memorable engagements: the last performances of the acclaimed Trey McIntyre Group, which is signing off after nine years as a pickup troupe and five as a full-time touring company; and the world premiere of dance icon and actress Carmen de Lavallade's solo show, "As I Remember It."

"Carmen has performed at the Pillow more times than any other artist, including Ted Shawn's Men Dancers," Baff said in a recent interview. "She is a revered figure in dance, and here she is at 83 doing a brand-new show."

Also returning yet again is the Mark Morris Dance Group (new this summer, the MMDG Music Ensemble, the company's "house band," will perform its own concert sans dancers). And local dance legend Marge Champion, who turns 95 this year, will be featured in "Gotta Dance!," an exhibit of dance movie posters in Blake's Barn, culled from the extensive collection of designer and producer Mike Kaplan.

At the other end of the longevity spectrum, Michelle Dorrance, winner of last year's Jacob's Pillow Dance Award, has already sold out a special two-week run.

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"Nobody knew who she was a few years ago," said Baff, who brought the red-hot tap dancer's Dorrance Dance troupe to the Pillow last year for a week that also sold out. The new Dorrance Dance show features innovative instruments created by Nicholas Young and live music by "American Idol" Season 11 contestant Aaron Marcellus.

"Audiences will also get a chance to see the classic of classics, Jerome Robbins' 'Fancy Free,' which is rarely performed in this kind of intimate setting," Baff said.

From beyond our borders come Companhia Urbana De Danca, bringing contemporary hip-hop from Brazil, and Israel's LeSaar The Company, with "Grass and Jackals." The American company Hubbard Street Dance Chicago brings work from three acclaimed European choreographers: Nacho Duato, Jiri Kylian and Alejandro Cerrudo.

Then there are the auteurs, dance-makers whose companies exist in order to manifest their distinctive visions on the stage. John Heginbotham, winner of this year's Pillow Award, teams up with string quartet Brooklyn Rider and Shara Worden, lead singer of My Brightest Diamond, for the premiere of "Chalk and Soot." David Rousseve's "Stardust," with songs by Ella Fitzgerald and Nat King Cole, tells the story of a young, gay African-American's coming of age. Reggie Wilson mixes modern and African dance with klezmer, house music and old-time spirituals in "Moses(es)." And Doug Elkins, who scored big at the Pillow a few years back with "Fraulein Maria," his take on "The Sound of Music," returns with the promisingly titled "Hapless Bizarre."

If you plan to bring the kids, there are lots of choices this summer. Italy's Compagnia T.P.O. brings "Bleu!," an interactive light, animation and movement experience; participation will be encouraged. "Unreal Hip Hop" spotlights three hip-hop crews accompanied by live deejays, while Circa takes circus arts to new heights.

"This may not be the first thing somebody would think of for a dance festival," Baff said of Circa, "but it's some of the most beautiful, powerful, physically rigorous work a body could be asked to do. It's not just a series of wows, tricks and feats of derring-do."